Stockton falls to red-hot Visalia

STOCKTON - The Ports couldn't stop the hottest team in the California League for the secondconsecutive night and lost 5-3 against the Visalia Rawhide in front of a sellout crowd Saturday at Stockton Ballpark.

STOCKTON - The Ports couldn't stop the hottest team in the California League for the secondconsecutive night and lost 5-3 against the Visalia Rawhide in front of a sellout crowd Saturday at Stockton Ballpark.

Visalia won its fifth in a row, and 14 of its last 15, to overtake San Jose in the North division for first place. Stockton manager Webster Garrison said the Rawhide (20-9) is making very few mistakes.

"Their record speaks for itself, and they're the best until someone proves it otherwise," Garrison said. "We had our opportunities late, but we couldn't make it happen."

A crowd of 5,417 watched Ports starter Tanner Peters allow a home run in the top of the first and two more runs in the third inning. In his last outing against the Rawhide on April 23, the 2011 draft pick allowed a career-high eight runs on 10 hits in 22/3 innings.

The Ports answered with runs in each of the first two innings for a 3-1 lead. Josh Whitaker recorded his 23rd RBI, third best in the California League, when he singled in Antonio Lamas. An inning later, Myrio Richard and Addison Russell both scored after RBI singles from Lamas and Max Muncy.

The score remained tied at 3-3 until Peters (2-2, 7.12 ERA) allowed atwo-out single to Visalia's Matt Helm, scoring Yazy Arbelo. That knocked Peters out of the game.